Flush-valve apparatus



Feb. 3. 1925. 1,525,247

l. W. LEISS FLUSH VALVE APPARATUS Filed Jan. 28, 1924 Patented Feb. 3,1925.

unirnos stares IRV'IN W. LEISS, OF ALLENTOWN, PENNSYLVANIA.

FLUSH-VALVE A'BPARATUS.

Application tiled. January 28, 1924. Serial No. 689,032.

T0 alla/1.7mm it may concern.:

Be it known that I, InviN W. Litissya citizen of the United States,residing at Allentown, in the' county ofjLehigh and State ofFeniisylvania, have invented new and useful Improvements in aFlush-Valve Apparatus, of which the following is a specification. Y

My invention relates to new and useful improvements in a flush valveVapparatus which yparticularly relates to the construc-` tion and,operation of the valve which is commonly known as a ball cock and hasfor its primary object to provide anexceedingly simple and eectivedevice of this character which is relatively inexpensive in the cost ofmanufacture although strong and durable and highly effectual inoperation. l Another object of the invention is the provision of avertically operating float cooperating with means to guide the same Vsoas to prevent undue swinging and provided with means for adjustablyconnecting said float with the valve plugY operating means in order to4determine andregulate the amount of water desired in a tank.

A further object of the invention is to so construct the flush valveapparatus that the majority of the operating parts always be above thewater line within the tank so as to eliminate, as far as possible, thevdeteriorating effect of the water and being above the water it may bereadily inspected at all times. n

A still further object of the invention' is to provide a compactstructure requiring but a very small amount of space for installation.

With these ends in view, this invention consists in the details ofconstruction and combination of elements hereinafter set forth and thenspecifically designated by the claims.

In order that those skilled in the art t0 which this inventionappertains, may understand how to make and use the same, I willl`describe its construction in detail, referring by numerals to theaccompanying drawingforming a part of this application, in which `Fig.1, is a sectional side elevation of a flush valve apparatus embodying myinvention and illustrating its relation to the bottom of a tank and thehighlevel of the water line therein.'

Fig. '2, isa plan view thereof.

and shown in section for illustration of aV construction detail..

F 4,'is a planview of the guide bracket removed from the apparatus.

In carrying out the invention as liei'e embodied, 2 represents the valvecasing or body having a main chamber 3 into which pro-` jects an annulusllproviding a seat 5 on its upper edge and'this annulus surrounds theinlet opening 6 leading to the main chamber 3. Also surrounding theinlet opening 6 is an exterior internally threaded boss 7 for thereception of the inlet or stand pipe 8 passing through the'bottom wall 9of a flush tank such as are commonly used in toilets.

'The main chamber 3 communicates with a ,secondary chamber 10 in thecasing or body 2 the latter preferably being of reduced dimensions andformed in an offset portion of the casing. From the bottom of thissecondary chamber leads an outlet pipe 11 having threaded connectionwith the valve casing or bodyy and the lower end of this outlet pipeterminates a short distance above the bottom of the tank so that whenwater is being supplied to the tank it will be projected into the body`ofA water contained in the tank and thereby eliminate orv reduce to aminimum the noises incident to refilling the tank. From the top of thesecondary chamber 1() leads the usual refill tube 12 which has threadedconnection with the valve casing or body. As will be obvious thisrefilltube leads to the overflow pipe of the outlet frointhe tank so as torefill the trap after acloset has been flushed.

From the top of the valve casing or body in endwise alignment andconcentric with the annulus l projects a tubular Vopen ended cylinder'or bearing sleeve 13 in which is slidably mounted the valve 4plug orplunger 1A having a circumferential groove 15 intermediate its ends tohold a packing ring 16 to prevent the escape of water through thecylinder y13. In' the inner end of the valve plug or plunger is formed asuitable recess 17 for the reception and retention of a packing disc 18destined to bepressed upon the seat 5. v

The valve casing or body carries a support or arm 19, preferably formedintegral therewith, and the upper end thereof projects above thecylinder 13 and has threaded therein a screw 20 or its equivalent withthe shank thereof plain or smooth so as to act as a stud axle for theoperating lever 2l. tegral hub 22 with which is formed the integral cam23 to engage the upper outer end of the valve plug or plunger 14, saidcam being so arranged that as the operating lever is moved in onedirection or raised the valve plug or plunger 11i will be forced inwardso that the disc 18 will engage the seat 5. The valve plug or plunger111 is provided with a yoke 14 having a portion overlying the cam 23 sothat when the operating lever is moved in the opposite direction ordownward said cam will engage the part of the yoke overlying it andraise the valve plug or plunger as the float descends.

In order to actuate the operating lever automatically by means of therise and fall Y of the water in the tank l provide a float 24 of anysuitable size and shape which float has a tube 25 passing therethroughand projecting from the opposite ends thereof and one of theseprojecting ends, as 26, coacts with a guide bracket 27 to prevent undueswinging of the float. Said guide bracket is preferably secured to theinlet or stand pipe 8 and has an elongated guideway 2S at its outer endin which the lower end 26 of the tube 25 works. The other or upper end29 of the tube 25 receives the shank 30 of the link 31 the upper end ofsaid link being bifurcated and pivoted as at 32 to the outer free end ofthe operating lever 21 and said shank is provided with a series ofvertically spaced holes 33 for the reception of a pin 3ft passingthrough the upper projecting end of the tube 25 thereby providing forthe adj ustability of the float relative to the operating mechanism andto establish the amount of water in. the tank to iiX the water line,

From the foregoing description it will be seen that as water flowsthrough the apparatus into the tank and gradually fills the latter saidwater will finally reach the float 24 and carry it upward causing motionto be transmitted through the link 31, the operating lever 21 and thecam 23 to the valve plug or plunger 14 which will gradually force thelatter downward until the packing disc 18 is firmly pressed against theseat 5 thus eifectually shutting off the water supply but as soon as thewater begins to flow from the tank the float will descend and cause thecam to raise the valve plug through the medium of the yoke 14', thusunseating the packing disc 18 and allowing the water To flow through thevalve casing into the tank through the outlet pipe 11.

As will be obvious upon the removal of the screw 2O the operating leverwith its component parts and the v,attached float may Said operatinglever includes an in-V be removed and the valve plug or plungerafterwards withdrawn so that the parts may be readily inspected,repaired or renewed.

s the highest level of the `water in the tank reaches only to the waterline shown when the parts are set as illustrated in the drawings themajority of the operating parts are always out of the water and will notbe affected by the same and even with the water in the tank if thesupply is shut off the parts may be removed and replaced without havingto place the hands in the water.

0f course l do not wish to be limited to the exact details ofconstruction as herein shown as these may be varied within the limits ofthe appended claims without departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new and usefulis l. A flush valve apparatuscomprising in combinati on with a tank, aninlet pipe7 a valve casing on the upper end of said inlet pipe, a seatwithin the valve casing in the region of the inlet pipe, an open endedcylindrical portion projecting from the valve casing above the highestwater line in the tank, said cylindrical portion beingl concentric withthe valve seat, a valve plug slidably mounted in the cylindrical portionof the valve casing and having a circumferential groove intermediate itsends and further provided with a recess at its lower end, va packingring within the circumferential groove, a packing disc in the recess forcoaction with the valve seat, a supporting arm carried by the valvecasing and projecting above the upper end of the cylindrical por tion, ascrew having threaded connection with said support, a valve leverjournalled on said screw, a cam carried by the valve lever for coactionwith the valve plug whereby the latter will be moved when the operat-.ing lever is actuated, a float, means'for ad j ustably connecting saidfloat to the operating lever whereby the latter will be actuated due tothe rise and fall of the water in the tank.

2. A flush valve apparatus comprising in combination with a tank, aninlet. pipe, a valve casing on the upper end of said inlet pipe, a seatwithin the valve casing in the region of the inlet pipe, an open endedcy-` lindrical portion projecting from the valve casing above thehighest water line in the portion, a screvv having threaded connectionwith the support, a valve lever journalled on said screw, a cani carriedby the valve lever for coaction with the valve plug whereby the latterWill be moved when the operating lever is actuated, a float, a tubepassing through said float and projecting from both ends of a linkpivotecl to the operating lever and projecting into the upper end ofsaid tube, said link having a series of vertically spaced holes, meanspassing through the upper end of the tube and any one of the holes inthe link for adjustably connecting the float relative to the operatinglever, and a guide bracket carried by the inlet pipe and having anelongated guiclevvay for the reception of the lower projecting end ofthe tube.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto afixed my signature.

IRVIN W. LEISS.

